Wedding of prince and actress brings outsized media interest

British TV presenter Amanda Holden, centre of group, reacts during filming for the US television show Inside Edition, on the Long Walk in Windsor, England, Monday May 14, 2018, ahead of the May 19 wedding of Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Worldwide media outlets begin setting up for their coverage of the marriage upcoming weekend, reporting from the town of Windsor. (Steve Parsons/PA via AP)

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FILE - In this Monday, April 23, 2018 file photo, Britain's Prince Harry and his fiancee Meghan Markle arrive to attend a Memorial Service to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence at St Martin-in-the-Fields church in London. German royalists’ adrenaline has been surging as the Saturday, May 19 wedding of Prince Harry and his American bride-to-be Meghan Markle is creeping closer. There’s no way anybody here will be able to miss the event: Three German TV stations, ZDF, RTL and n-tv, will broadcast the event live and stream it on their websites too. Dozens of German correspondents are accredited and so-called “royal household experts” will explain the intricacies of the foreign ceremony.

Royal fans John Loughry, second rightm and Terry Hutt, second left, show off their placards as TV and journalist film and interview them in just outside Windsor Castle, in Windsor, England, Wednesday, May 16, 2018. Preparations continue in Windsor ahead of the royal wedding of Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Saturday May 19, which includes a 30 minute carriage route taking the couple round the town to wave to the crowds, some of whom are already taking up positions .

Royal fans John Loughry, second right, and Terry Hutt, center, show off their placards as TV and journalists film and interview them in just outside Windsor Castle, in Windsor, England, Wednesday, May 16, 2018. Preparations continue in Windsor ahead of the royal wedding of Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Saturday May 19, which includes a 30 minute carriage route taking the couple round the town to wave to the crowds, some of whom are already taking up positions .

A tour guide leads her group of tourists using a flag with the faces of Britain's Prince Harry and his fiance Meghan Markle in Windsor, England, Wednesday, May 16, 2018. Preparations continue in Windsor ahead of the royal wedding of Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Saturday May 19.

British TV presenter Amanda Holden, centre of group, filming for the US television show Inside Edition, on the Long Walk in Windsor, England, Monday May 14, 2018, ahead of the May 19 wedding of Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Worldwide media outlets begin setting up for their coverage of the marriage upcoming weekend, reporting from the town of Windsor, which is dominated by the castle keep, seen at far background left.

Associated Press

BERLIN
—

Like most everyone else with a taste for fairytales, Germans love the spectacle of a royal wedding. But since the country's last emperor, Wilhelm II, was forced to abdicate in 1918, Germans haven't had a monarchy of their own to fuss over and so have adopted Britain's royals as surrogates.

It should come as no surprise then that German tabloids, television stations and social media have buzzed with the latest details of Prince Harry's fast-approaching marriage to American actress Meghan Markle — from the wedding guest list and the bridal dress to the loaded family dynamics and the lemon elderflower cake.

Three German TV stations — ZDF, RTL and n-tv — plan to broadcast and livestream the event. Dozens of German correspondents are accredited to be on the ground in England for Saturday's wedding, and networks have enlisted "royal household experts" to help explain the intricacies of the ceremony to viewers at home.

Some 79 international broadcasters, including outlets from the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, are planning to report on Markle and Harry's wedding. More than 5,000 U.K. and foreign media and support staff have credentials to cover the action in Windsor, a town 35 kilometers (22 miles) west of London that is home to St. George's Chapel and Windsor Castle, where the ceremony and reception are taking place.

Americans in particular — some 46 U.S. broadcast affiliates will cover the wedding — are obsessing because the bride is one of their own. The E! TV entertainment network plans to devote five hours of air time to the wedding that matches a California girl with a British prince.

But fans in Los Angeles, Markle's hometown, will have to be up early to watch the service — which begins at noon in England and 4 a.m. in the Pacific Daylight Time zone. Plenty of other action in Windsor — including the arrival of celebrity guests, the first glimpse of the bride in her dress and other pre-ceremony hoopla — will take place hours earlier.

As for Germany, public Television ZDF did not want to speculate on how many viewers may tune in. When Harry's brother, Prince William, married Kate Middleton in 2011, 3.1 million Germans watched the nuptials live. When Harry and William's parents, Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, tied the knot in 1981, some 9.3 million Germans were glued to their TVs.

Several restaurants and coffee shops in Berlin are offering specials along with public viewings of Saturday's royal wedding. At the German capital's famous Bristol Hotel, guests will be able to sip tea and munch on British biscuits as the couple makes their marriage vows. Nearby, the Berliner Kaffeeroesterei cafe plans to serve wedding cake with raspberries and tea for 24.95 euros ($29.40) while the celebration is being screened in the cafe's library room.

Elfriede Regner, a 73-year-old retiree from Berlin, said she watched both Charles and William's weddings and will spend Saturday in front of the TV as well.

"There's no way in the world I'm going to miss this wedding," Regner said as she walked past the city's main train station with an umbrella in hand despite the sunny weather.